Footwear and process of making the same



Dec. 5, 1933. G. M. RAY Y1,937,716

' FOOTWEAR AND PROCESS OF MAKING' THE SAME I Filed Jan. 28. 1931Patented Dec. 5v, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,937,716 FOOTWEARPROCESS OF MAKING THE A Application January 28,

12 Clair-ns.

This invention pertains to footwear and relates more particularlytoimprovements in that part of the shoe which supports the heel of the`foot and to a method of constructing a shoe embodying suchimprovements.

In the usual construction, the upper surface of the shoe bottom at thatpart on which the heel of the wearer rests is substantially flat orstraight in a transverse direction, thus failing to conform tothe'normal contour of the human heel. The ordinary shoe having a highheel, and particularly one provided with a Louis heel which has a verysmall tread surface, throws the foot out of its natural position andgreatly increases the difculty of preserving the balance in walking, andif for any reason the vertical line of pressure of the heel of the footis thrown laterally outside of the tread surface of the shoe heel, oreven very close to one edge of the ltread surface, the difficulty ofmaintaining a proper balance is greatly increased, since the foot tendsto turn in the shoe and the flat heel-supporting surface offers littleresistance to such turning. This frequently results in sprained anklesor in pulling the heel from the shoe. Moreover, irrespective of the typeof shoe heel employed, the flat surface upon which the wearers heelrests fails to dstributepthe pressure properly, causing undue fatigueand being a contributing factor in many foot troubles to which peoplewearing modern shoes are subject.

While certain previous attempts have been made to provide the shoe witha properly shaped heel-supporting surface, such prior proposals havebeen of little practical utility. Thus, for example, while it has beenproposed to mold the surface to proper shape, such a process requiresthe provision of many expensive molds, since shoes of different sizesand styles could not be prepared by the use of the same mold. Moreover,molding imparts a convex curvature to the under or seat surface of theinner sole, so that it becomes necessary to use a shoe heel having aspecially shaped seat surface, as otherwise the attachment of the heelwould immediately destroy the molded shape of the inner sole. Othershave attempted to attain the desired results by scooping out a portionof the upper surface of the inner sole, but this leaves little thicknessfor reception of the heel-attach ing fasteners and is unduly expensive.It has also been proposed'to arrange a specially shaped or molded pad ontop of the inner sole at the heel but this is objectionable, rst becauseof the expense of making pads of all ofthe requisite sizes, and secondbecause such a'pad is a conspicous element, obviously not an integralpart of the shoe and thus objectionable from the selling standpoint.Difficulty is also experienced in keeping such a pad in proper positionin the 1931.A Serial No. 511,776

shoe during wear and the `same objection applies to the proposedprovision of a bevelled rand strip resting upon the top of the innersole upon which the marginal portion of the Wearers heel rests.

In accordance with the `present invention I provide a shoe havingaheel-supporting surface, which substantially conforms to the contourofthe human heel, without conspicuously changing the appearance of theinside of the shoe and without unduly increasing the expense ofmanufacture, and in such a manner that the shape of theheel-supportingsurface is permanent. The means by which this result isobtained forms a permanent and integral part of the shoe construction.It requires no special or expensive apparatus in its production, and isapplicable to shoes employing heels of any type. The result is attainedin its preferred form by arranging a fille` strip, preferably a bevelledrand strip, beneath the rear or heel portion of the upper or main memberof the inner sole, such strip extending along the margin of said memberso as to support such margin at a level somewhat above the central partof said member upon which the heel rests.

Preferably after this iiller or rand strip has been secured to the mainmember of the inner sole, a relatively stiff and substantially flatreinforce or tuck piece is secured beneath the rand strip. The compositeinner sole thus produced is assembled with the upper in usual manner andlasted, preferably employing a last having its heel surface somewhatmore convex than usual so as to force the central part of the upper ormain member of the inner sole into a concave form, the relativelygreater stiffness of the tuck piece preventing the latter from bend, ingduring the lasting process, so that in the lasted shoe the seat surfaceof the inner sole, as defined by the tuck piece, is substantially flat,While its upper surface defined by the main member is concave. Thus whenthe shoe heel is attached, the concavity of the upper surface of theinner sole is not-affected.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illus` trated a shoe embodying thepresent invention, together with certain preferred steps in the processof producing such a shoe.

Referring to the drawing: f

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a shoe embodying the invention showing the`rear part of the shoek in vertical section substantially along themedian longitudinal line of the shoe; the relative thickness of certainparts of the shoe'being exaggerated for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of an innersole embodying the present invention,before assemblage with the shoe upper;

' other suitable material.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the composite inner sole of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the inner sole of Fig. 2 with a part ofthe tuck piece broken away; Fig. 5 is atransverse section to largerscale on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a filler piece or welt strip bent to the formwhich is assumes when applied to the upper member of the inner sole;

Fig. '7 is a transverse section to larger scale on the line 7-7 of Fig.6; and

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the heel portion of a last of aform particularly adapted for use in the practice of my improvedprocess.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the outer member ofthe shoe upper, said upper having a lining 2 and being provided at itsrear portion with the counter 3 vinterposed between the lining 2 and theouter mem'- ber l. It is to be understood that the parts of the upperare of any usual construction and material and that the invention is notin any manner limited to any particular construction of shoe upper. Theshoe also comprises an outer sole 4, the-heel 5, and an inner solecomprising the upper or main member 6. This member 6 may be of usualconstruction, shape and material, it being usual '-.to employ a materialwhich is relatively soft and flexible for this purpose. This piece 6usually extends substantially from the toe of the heel of the shoe andmay be of integral one-piece construction or of any other desired form.

In accordance with the present invention I provide a filler or randstrip 10, which may be of leather, paper, fiber, rubber or in fact anyother suitable material, preferably such as may be bent to follow thecontour .of the Arear part of the inner sole. To facilitate its bending,one edge of this strip may be notched, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and '6.Preferably this'strip 10 is tapered in width from its outer edge 11toward its inner edge .12,- (Fig. LT) 4and preferably the endsy of thestrip are beveled or skived, as shown at 13 (Fig. 6). This :strip ispreferably secured to the under side of the inner sole by means ofadhesive or other suitable fastening means, for example stitches, andmay be run on by means of a welt attaching machine or applied by hand orotherwise, as may be preferred. Since this stripis flexible and capableof bending, and since itmay be cut to any desired length it is obviousthat such ller or rand strip material 'may be provided of ,a standardwidth and thickness in any desired length, from which.;suitable sectionsmaybe cut andapplied to a `shoe of -any size by bending to .conform tothe contour of the inner sole. 1

Preferably I `combine with the members 6 and 10 a relatively hard andstiff reinforce or truck member 7, whichmay be of fiberboard or4 anyThis member '7 is disposed beneath the stripl and may be secured to themember 6 by means of staples or adhesive, as is preferred. To this tuckmember .7 there is preferably secured one end of the shank piece` 8,

usually of steeland attached by a staple 9, which passes through thetuck piece '1 and the member 6. This shank' piece 8 extends forwardlyalong the shank of the shoe and is secured by a second staple near itsforward end directly to the member 6. 'Y

Having prepared a composite inner sole, as

thus described, including the parts 6 and l0, and

also the parts '1 and 8 if desired, I assemble this inner sole with theshoe upper and last the parts in usual manner, causing the edge 14 ofthe upper to overlap the marginal portion of the inner sole beneath thestrip 10 as shown in Fig. 1. In thus lasting the shoe I prefer for bestresults to employ a last such as shown at L in Fig. 8, having its heelportion made somewhat more convex than usual as for example by securinga pad p to the under surface of the heel, with the result that thecentral part 15 (Fig. 1) of the member 6 at the heel portion of the shoeis depressed, so as to form a concavity for the reception of the heel ofthe foot. At the same time the stiff tuck memberA 7 remainssubstantially flat and straight. The outersole 4 and heel 5 are now-attached in any usual manner, and if desired an inner or slip sole 16may be applied.

It will be noted that in the assembled and lasted sh'oe the filler orrand strip 10 is wholly concealed and in a position such that it cannotescape during use. The member 6 of the inner sole is uninterrupted atthe heel portion, maintaining its usual thickness so as to provide ampleanchorage for the heel attaching `fasteners and while the heelsupporting surface of the shoe is concave, it does not present any suchabnormal appearance as would detract from the selling value of the shoe.Since the results are attained without the use of special dies ofmachinery, it is clear that the improved shoe can be manufactured at acost not greatly exceeding ordinary shoes, although possessing theadvantages above described.

While I have illustrated one desirable embodiment of the invention andone mode of attaining the desired result, I wish it to be understoodthat the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific detailsherein illustrated but that equivalents may be substituted for the partsor for the process steps enumerated.- that any desirable materials maybe employed in carrying the process into effect, and that the Aorder ofthe process steps may be varied without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

l. A shoe having an inner sole and an outer sole, a shank pieceinterposed between and secured to the inner sole, and a filler memberbelow the iinner sole and extending along the margin of the latter atitsv heel portion, said filler member tapering in thickness .from itsouter toward its inner edge, the inner sole being disposed substantiallyagainst the tapering portion of said ller member to provide a concaveheel 4supporting surface substantially conforming to extendingsubstantially continuously from its outer edges transversely across theshoe1 and a filler interposed between the heel portions of said upperand lower members, said fillerextending along the margins of said heelportions and tapering in thickness from its outer edge inwardly, `saidlower member being relatively hard and stiff and providing asubstantially flat and rigid seat for said filler, said upper memberbeing depressed along the tapering portion of said ller and beingdisposed substantially in engagement with said lower member across thearea enclosed by said filler to provide a concave heel supportingsurface extending substantially continuously across the shoe andconforming substantially to the contour of the human'heel.

4. An inner sole for shoes comprising an upper relatively flexiblemember having a heel portion, and a substantially flat and relativelyrigid lower member having a heel portion registering with the heelportion of the upper member, and a filler strip interposed between themargins of the heel portions of said upper and lower members, saidfiller strip being thick at its outer edge and tapering toward 'itsinner edge, said upper member being depressed along the tapering portionof said filler strip and being disposed substantially in engagement withsaid lower member across the area enclosed by said lled strip to providea concave heel supporting surface substantially conforming to thecontour of the human heel.

5. An inner sole for shoes comprising upper and lower members havingregistering heel portions extending substantially continuously from theouter edges thereof across the shoe, the upper member being relativelysoft and flexible and the lower member being substantially at andrelatively hard and stiff, and a beveled rand strip seated on said lowermember and extending along and between the margins of the heel portionsof said upper and lower members, said upper member being depressed alongthe beveled rand strip and being disposed substantially in engagementwith said lower member across the area thereof within the rand strip toprovide a concave heel supporting surface extending substantiallycontinuously across the shoe and substantially conforming to the contourof the human heel.

6: An inner sole for shoes comprising a member extending substantiallyfrom front to rear of the shoe and having a heel portion, a filler stripdisposed below and concealed by said mem-A ber, said strip following themargin of said member and tapering in width inwardly from its outer edgethereby to support the marginal portion of said inner sole member at ahigher level than the central part thereof, and a relatively hardandstiff reinforce member disposed beneath 'said 4strip and providing asubstantially fiat 'seatsurface for the inner sole.

7. An inner sole for shoes comprising an upper member extendingsubstantially continuously from the toe to and across the centralportion of the heel of the shoe, said member being of `substantiallyuniform transverse thickness at the heel portion and having a downwardlyconcave upper surface to support the heel of the foot, a lower memberdisposed beneath the heel portion of said upper member, said lowermember having a substantially flat under surface, means securing saidupper andlowermembers together with the central part of the heel portionof said upper member supported by said lower member,

' and means cooperating with -these upper and to retain itssubstantially flat under surface after lasting of the shoe.

8. An inner sole for shoes comprising an upper member provided with aconcave heel portion, a filler strip beveled along its inner edge anddisposed beneath and about the margin'of 'said heel portion, a lowermember of relatively hard fiberboard extending beneath said nller stripand beneath said heel portion of said upper member` to provide a rigidsupport for the superposed portion of both of the latter members, andmeans securing the aforementioned members together, said lower memberhaving a substantially flat under surface and having sufficientstiffness to retain the latter surface substantially fiat after lasting.

9. That method of making shoes which comprises preparing a sole member,preparing a beveled rand strip, securing the rand strip to the underside of the sole member so as to extend around the rear marginal portionof the latter, securing a stiff tuck member to the under side of thesole member beneath said rand strip, assembling the aforesaid parts withan upper, and lasting the shoe.

10. I'hat method of making shoes which com` prises preparing a solemember, preparing -a beveled rand strip, securing the rand strip to theunder side of the sole member so as to extend around the rear marginalportion of the latter, securing a stiff tuck member to the under side ofthe sole member beneath said rand strip, assembling the aforesaid partswith an upper, lasting the shoe by the use of a last having a convexheel surface such as to cause the middle part of the sole member tobecome concave, assembling an outer sole with the lasted shoe, andattaching a heel by means of fasteners extending through the rearportion of said sole member.

11. The method of making a shoe which comprises providing an inner solehaving a flexible heel portion, providing a relatively stiff,substantially flat member to extend beneath said heel portion,assembling these parts in superposed re-V -lation with a rand stripdisposed between the marginal portions thereof, depressing said heelportion against said relatively stiff substantially fiat member to forma downwardly concave upper surface on said heel 'portion substantiallyconforming to the contourof the human heel, and securingthese partstogether in this relation, said relatively stiff substantially flatmember having sufficient stiffness to retain the parts in thisrelationship after the lasting operation.

12. The method of making a shoe which comprises providing an inner solehaving a flexible heel portion, providing a relatively stiff,substantially flat member to extend beneath said --heel portion,assembling these parts in superposed relation with a rand strip disposedbetween the marginal portions thereof, depressing said heel portionagainst said relatively stiff-substantially flat member to form adownwardly concave upper surface on said heel portion substantiallyconforming to the contour of the human heel, securing these partstogether in this relation, said relatively stili substantially fiatmember having sufficient stiffnessto retain the parts in thisrelationship after thelasting operation, and assembling the aforesaidparts on an upper and lasting the shoe;

- GEORGE MJRAY.

